White and blue gis in the adult class at 786 McCool
·KDL Combatives, Valparaiso
What the gi is and why we use it
The gi is the heavy cotton jacket, pants and belt you see in every jiu-jitsu and Judo photo. It is not a costume. The cloth is part of the game: collars for chokes, sleeves and pants for grips, a lapel for control. Judo was built around it, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu inherited it, and most of what a beginner learns in the first year uses it in some way.
It also slows things down, which is good for you. Grips give a new person handles to hold and time to think. No-gi grappling is faster and slipperier, and plenty of people love it, but the gi is the friendlier place to start.
What to wear until you have one
Your first class at KDL Combatives is free and you do not need a gi for it. Wear a T-shirt or rash guard without zips, buttons or pockets, and shorts or leggings without pockets. Pockets catch fingers and toes. No jewelry, no watch, short nails. That outfit gets you through your first few weeks without a problem.
Buying your first gi without wasting money
Wait until you have decided to keep training, then ask the instructor before you buy anything. Sizing is strange, brands vary, and a gym often knows a supplier. A plain white or blue gi in a normal weight is all a beginner needs. You do not need the expensive competition cut, a patch, or a second one yet.
Wash it after every single class, hang it to dry, and it will last for years. Your training partners will notice the day you forget.
- Plain white or blue, normal weight, no fancy weave.
- Ask about sizing before ordering; the letter sizes do not match street clothes.
- A white belt comes with it. That is the correct belt to own.
- Two gis only once you are training more than twice a week.
So, do you need one?
Not to start. Come to a free class in athletic clothes, find out whether you like it, and buy a gi the week you decide you do. Anyone who tells you to spend money before you have set foot on the mat is selling something.